8 Ways to Connect with Grandparents During COVID-19
As a child, I was envious of kids who had grandparents close by. But how can we maintain a connection when physical distance is a necessity? Even grandparents who live nearby may be avoiding in-person visits during the pandemic.
Gabrielle Nidus discovered a way to keep the relationship between her son and his grandmother close – she gives him daily piano lessons over Skype. “They play piano and then talk. I am so grateful to her for learning how to Skype and sharing her love of music with him. It’s a new bond between them.”
September is National Grandparents Month, so now is the perfect time to find ways to engage your kids with their grandparents. Try some of these ideas:
The Social Distancing Dinner: Many families are getting together outside when weather permits, spacing chairs out more than six feet apart and enjoying time together. If grandparents are close by, this is an easy way to keep in close contact. Many families have a standing weekly date. Others take a more casual approach.
Read a Book Together: My mother calls my 8-year-old daughter at 10:30 each morning for another chapter of “The Borrowers.” This not only serves to keep them connected but has all the benefits of reading aloud, such as building her vocabulary and giving her a positive attitude toward reading.
Online Games: Just because you can’t get together in person doesn’t mean that game night is out of the question! There are many opportunities to play online games such as Scrabble Go or Spyfall. Additionally, apps such as Together or Houseparty offer fun games for grandparents and children to play together. Just as traditional board games offer educational benefits during play, online games can help develop skills such as vocabulary and math.
Take an Online Class Together: Kids may be interested in taking an online class alongside their grandparents. Find something that interests both kids and adults such as a yoga or dance class. Online schools such as outschool.com offer classes that appeal to different age groups and offer a wide variety of courses, such as a Harry Potter cooking class.
Texting and email: What a great way to practice writing while putting a smile on grandma or grandpa’s face!
The Post Office: A letter from a grandchild is a great improvement over the usual stack of bills and junk mail. The TouchNote app allows children to mail postcards from a phone, complete with a picture. As an added bonus, kids get to practice their writing skills and conventions of letter writing.
Video Chat: Many families are using Zoom and FaceTime to keep grandparents and grandkids connected. My own family has established a weekly Zoom call with my parents, brother, nephews and children all participating on the same call. Jen Morrison, a grandmother of three, is keeping up via FaceTime since she can not have her usual visits in person. “We have lots of FaceTime calls with our 1-year-old granddaughter in Arkansas. Usually it’s when she’s eating dinner because that’s the only time she’s pretty stationary. And she likes the entertainment while eating. It’s a great way for us to keep up with her.”
Create Online Artwork Together: Apps such as Zoom offer a screen sharing option that lets kids and grandparents create artwork together. What a fun way to create!
– Jill Morgenstern
